Application of wear plate to articulated connector load bearing bottom surface

ABSTRACT

A method for reconditioning a railcar connector is provided. The method comprises machining a portion of a casting to create a wear plate application surface, positioning a wear plate on the wear plate application surface, and welding the wear plate to the wear plate application surface.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/590,675, filed Jan. 25, 2012 and entitled “Reconditioning ofArticulated Connector Load Bearing Bottom Surfaces,” the entiredisclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Multi-unit railroad cars are typically interconnected using couplings,such as articulated connectors, to link one unit to the next. Mostoften, the connectors include a male casting portion mounted to the endstructure of one of the rail car units which is joined to a femalecasting portion located on the end structure of the adjacent rail carunit. Joining of the male and female portions results in an articulatedconnection between the rail car units. American Steel Foundries, Inc.(ASF) of Granite City, Ill. and Meridian Rail, Inc. (formerly andhereinafter National Castings) of Lombard, Ill. manufacture the mostfrequently used connectors of this type in the U.S. industry.

The cargo portion of a railroad train comprises a plurality ofmulti-unit rail cars linked in this fashion. As such, the drivinglocomotive is only acting directly on the car adjacent to it, which isthen joined to the next unit, etc. The pulling, or pushing, of the railcar units by the locomotive creates a significant level of stress oneach connector as each bears the entire force of the rest of the railcars. Any contact between the male and female casting portions and theirassociated components results in wear on those contact areas of theconnectors.

The stress placed on the connectors results in wearing of the metal atseveral points of contact between the male and female portions of theconnectors, or their respective components, due to impact and frictionalcontact. Particular points of wear include the bottom ring surface andanterior surfaces of the bores of the female portion of the connector,and the bottom bearing surface, the spherical anterior surface of theopening 32 (as shown in FIG. 1) and the front spherical surface of themale portion of the connector. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,490,393and 6,944,925 describe processes for reconditioning the front surface 30of the male portion of the connector and the front surfaces of the boresof the female portion of the connector as well as the anterior surfacesof the bores of the female portion of the connector.

As articulated connector castings are an integral part of the carstructure and are difficult and expensive components to replace, it isfavorable to repair or recondition the connectors as opposed toreplacing them or the entire rail car. Connector castings can commonlytravel 1,200,000 miles or more without the need for significantmaintenance. In the past, reconditioning of most rail car components hasinvolved removing various parts from the rail car and reapplying themback into place after such reconditioning. Some couplers have beenreconditioned in this way, especially those removable by design.Articulated connectors, however, are not suited for such removal andrepair since they are integral to the car and such repair would beinefficient, time consuming, and expensive.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a methodof reconditioning rail car connectors such that the reconditioningoccurs while the castings are still attached to the rail cars. It is afurther object of this invention to simplify the measurement of portionsof the connectors ensuring that the connectors are reconditioned to theappropriate dimensions, including the use of appropriate gauges. It isyet a further object of this invention to provide a method ofreconditioning rail car connectors utilizing gauges to take themeasurements of the connectors while still attached to the rail car. Itis still another object of this invention to provide a method forreconditioning rail car connectors using less labor-intensive processesby eliminating the need to invert a rail car in order to performreconditioning of the connectors, although the process can be used oninverted rail cars as well

BRIEF SUMMARY

In a first embodiment, a method for reconditioning a railcar connectoris provided. The method comprises machining a portion of a casting tocreate a wear plate application surface, positioning a wear plate on thewear plate application surface, and welding the wear plate to the wearplate application surface.

In a second embodiment, a method for reconditioning a railcar connectoris provided. The method comprises machining a portion of a casting tocreate a wear plate application surface, positioning a wear plate on thewear plate application surface, and mechanically fastening the wearplate to the wear plate application surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of male and female casting portions of anunassembled connector;

FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-section view of an unassembled connector;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the process for manually reconditioning aconnector casting;

FIG. 4A is a front view of a machining fixture for reconditioning aconnector that is mounted to a male connector portion;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the fixture of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is a sectional of the fixture of FIG. 4A that shows a clampingmechanism in a loosened position;

FIG. 4D is a sectional of the fixture of FIG. 4A that shows a clampingmechanism in a tightened position;

FIG. 4E is a blow up view of a portion of FIG. 4D;

FIG. 4F is a front view of a machining fixture for reconditioning a maleconnector with an alignment tube installed;

FIG. 4G is a sectional of the fixture of FIG. 4F taken along the lineA-A;

FIG. 4H is a sectional of a machining fixture for reconditioning aconnector;

FIG. 4I is a front view of a machining fixture for reconditioning aconnector;

FIG. 4J is a right side view of the fixture of FIG. 4I;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a semi-automated process for reconditioning aconnector casting;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a boring bar assembly connected with afixture for machining a connector casting;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a facing head assembly and facing headfeed control used for machining;

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of a facing head assembly and facinghead feed control beneath a male casting to be machined;

FIG. 9 is a view of a machining fixture for reconditioning a castingshowing a facing head assembly and facing head feed control mounted tothe fixture including the application of a gauge;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a gauge bar;

FIG. 11 is another perspective view of a facing head assembly and facinghead feed control beneath a male casting to be machined;

FIG. 12 is a view of the bottom of a male casting that includes a wearplate;

FIG. 12A is a sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 12 showing a malecasting that includes a wear plate;

FIG. 12B is an alternative sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 12showing a male casting that includes a wear plate;

FIG. 13A is a side view of a welding fixture attached to a male casting(truncated);

FIG. 13B is a top view of the welding fixture of FIG. 13A attached to amale casting (truncated);

FIG. 14 is a view of a torch assembly;

FIG. 15 is a view of a weld apparatus attached to a weld fixture;

FIG. 16 is a view of a weld cam and switch;

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a weld cam;

FIG. 18 is a view of a torch assembly and male casting;

FIG. 19 is a view of a bottom bearing surface of a male casting havingan interrupted weld pattern;

FIG. 20 is a view of an insulating box applied over a male casting whilea torch assembly is applied;

FIGS. 21 and 21 a illustrate a concentric wear plate;

FIGS. 22 and 22 a illustrate an offset wear plate.

FIGS. 23 and 23 a illustrate a modified wear plate;

FIGS. 24, 24 a, 24 b and 24 c illustrate a gauge for use with thepresent method;

FIG. 25 is a bottom view of a connector casting illustrating a divisioninto octants and an example of a weld pattern;

FIG. 26 is a top view of a wound induction heating induction cable; and

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a male portion of an articulatedconnector with saddlebags in place holding the induction heating cableof FIG. 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND THE PRESENTLY PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-2 generally, the articulated connector castingsbeing reconditioned are attached to the rail car end structure (notshown) and usually include a male casting 10 located on one rail carunit and a female casting 12 located on the adjacent rail car unit suchthat the male and female castings can interlock, joining the rail carunits to form a multi-unit rail car. When the female and male castingsare brought together, bores 24, 26 of the female casting are alignedwith the male casting opening 32 such that a pin 16 can be inserted,securing the male and female castings and their internal componentstogether to complete the connector. The connectors are articulated suchthat they can rotate about the pin and have vertical angularity,allowing the rail car units to pivot relative to each other duringmovement around curved tracks and over undulating terrain.

As noted above, there are two dominant articulated connector types usedin joining rail car units, namely ASF connectors and National Castingsconnectors, although other connector types exist which can be similarlyaccommodated by this invention. The following description refers to theASF connectors. However, this description is exemplary of rail carconnectors generally. As such, the following description of theinvention is tailored to industry standards, but the invention could bemodified to accommodate specific connectors used, including but notlimited to National Castings connectors.

The exemplary ASF connector, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a malecasting 10 and a female casting 12. The female casting 12 is generallyU-shaped in cross section to receive the male casting 10. The femalecasting 12 includes a top portion 18 and a bottom portion 20, which aregenerally planar and are joined by sidewalls 22 and a generally concaveback wall 23. The sidewalls 22, back wall 23, top portion 18 and bottomportion 20 define the generally U-shaped receiving cavity 34 of thefemale casting. Both the top portion 18 and the bottom portion 20 of thefemale casting include a cylindrical bore 24 and 26, respectively, whichare aligned with one another. Moreover, the bottom portion 20 includes aspherical ring surface 25.

The female casting additionally includes a wedge system located alongthe concave back wall 23. The wedge system includes a wedge 36 and afollower block 38. The follower block 38 is designed to conform to thespherical contour of the portion of the male casting with which itcontacts. The wedge is then placed between the back wall 23 and thefollower block 38, holding the follower block 38 in place and providingpressure. The wedge is held in place by gravity and drops as wear occurswithin the system to maintain a low longitudinal slack condition,thereby keeping the follower block 38 in constant contact andcompression with the male casting 10.

The male casting 10 includes a forward end 28, which is a generallyU-shaped projection of generally constant thickness. The male casting 10has an opening 32 with generally square features at the side nearest theattaching car unit, or posterior surface 70 of the opening 32, and witha U-shaped concave surface nearest the opposite, anterior surface 54 ofthe opening. The male opening 32 is different in shape than the femalebores 24 and 26 as the anterior surface 54 of the male opening 32 isconcave and generally spherical in shape and the opening 32 has anoverall greater volume than that required for insertion of the pin. Assuch, a pin bearing block 31 is inserted into the opening 32 and mateswith the anterior surface 54 of the opening, as shown in FIG. 2. Theshape of the pin bearing block 31 is generally spherical along the endcontacting the anterior surface 54 of the opening 32, to compliment theopening, and has a generally vertical concave cylindrical shape alongthe opposite side to receive the pin 16. When the pin bearing block 31is placed in the opening 32, the concave cylindrical side of the pinbearing block 31 and the posterior end 70 of the opening 32 define thearea to receive the pin as described below.

The forward end 28 of the male casting is generally U-shaped tocompliment the interior of the female casting in shape. The forward end28 includes a front surface 30 at the far end of the male casting whichincludes the generally U-shaped area. The front surface 30 is theportion of the male casting in contact with the follower block 38 whenthe male casting 10 is inserted into the female casting 12. The forwardend 28 of the male casting also includes a bottom bearing surface 33.The bottom bearing surface 33 comes into contact with the spherical ringsurface 25 when the male casting 10 is inserted into the female casting12.

Upon assembly, as shown in cross-section in FIG. 2, the male casting 10,specifically the forward end 28 is inserted into the cavity 34 of thefemale casting 12. The bottom bearing surface 33 of the male casting ispositioned above the spherical ring surface 25 such that the opening 32in the male casting is aligned with the bores 24 and 26 of the femalecasting. When the two bores 24, 26 are aligned with the opening 32, acylindrical pin 16 can be inserted through them. The pin 16 is insertedinto the bore 24 in the top portion 18 of the female casting and thenpasses through the opening 32 in the male casting 10, which includes thepin bearing block 31, and then passes further to engage the bore 26 inthe bottom portion 20 of the female casting 12. The top of the pin ispreferably secured to the top of the female casting.

The wedge system works to eliminate slack from the connector system byapplying pressure on the male casting and hence on the pin bearing blockcylindrical surface bores and pin. Due to the wedge system and thegeneral construction of the castings, significant wear occurs inselective areas. On the female casting, wear may occur on the sphericalring surface 25 and the anterior surfaces 103 of the female bores 24 and26 as the compressive forces from pulling cars pushes the pin 16 againstthose surfaces. Conversely, the posterior surfaces 102 of the femalebores receive negligible wear, as a result of the wedge system notallowing pin stress on this surface. On the male casting, wear occursalong the bottom bearing surface 33 and the spherical anterior surface54 of the opening 32 as the pin bearing block 31 rides against it.Conversely, the posterior surface 70 of the male opening 32 receives nowear under normal operating conditions. The male casting alsoexperiences significant wear on the front spherical surface 30 as aresult of contact with the follower block 38 and compressive forces fromother rail car units.

During use of connected rail car units, wear can occur in at least theseareas as specified above due to friction caused by the pivoting andmovement of the rail car units relative to one another. The followingare methods for reconditioning and repairing rail cars at these commonsites of wear either while the connectors are still attached to the railcar or when the connectors have been detached. The reconditioningreturns the worn parts of the connectors back to their proper dimensionsto ensure peak performance upon re-connection of the rail car units.

Manual Reconditioning of the Articulated Connector

Several methods are described herein to recondition articulatedconnectors. While ASF male castings are referenced below, as known tothose of ordinary skill in the art, the methods and equipment describedbelow may readily be adapted to be applied to other types of malecastings, such as, for example, from National Castings, as well as tofemale castings. For example, the process described below could beapplied to the bottom surface 3000 of the female casting 12 show inFIGS. 1 and 2.

The male castings should be prepared so that an accurate measurement canbe taken to determine if reconditioning is required, particularly withrespect to the areas described above. Such preparation includes cleaningthe surfaces of rust, dirt, grit, grease, lubrication residue, or thelike. Substances such as grease, grime and lubricants can be scrapedfrom the surfaces. Remaining contaminants can be burned off with a torchor ground away. Metal upsets on the surfaces in need of reconditioningshould be carefully machined smooth to prevent cold laps during laterwelding. The male castings are then measured to determine ifreconditioning is required. Any portion of the casting that existsbefore the weld is applied can be referred to as being “parent castingmaterial.”

As noted above, the bottom bearing surface 33 and front surface 30 ofthe male opening 32 of the male casting are prone to wear as they are infrictional contact with the spherical ring surface 25 and follower block38 respectively. The reconditioning of the bottom bearing surface isdiscussed below. As to the front surface 30, an example ofreconditioning techniques may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,062,assigned to TTX Company, which is herein incorporated by reference inits entirety.

FIG. 3 generally shows the steps of the applicable reconditioningprocess. Once the area to be measured has been prepared and cleaned 300,the bottom bearing surface 33 of the male casting 10 is measured 302,304 to determine if the bottom bearing surface 33 has worn such that itneeds reconditioning. Any suitable gauge may be used so long as it maybe swept along the bottom bearing surface to determine if reconditioningshould be performed.

An exemplary gauge based on the gauge disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,944,925 is shown in FIGS. 24, 24 a and 24 b. The preferred gauge 2401,as shown in FIGS. 24, 24 a, 24 b and 24 c, for use in measuring the ASFmale connector is a pivot gauge, which preferably includes two members:a base 42 and a swing arm assembly 44. The base 42 is generally ablock-shaped member having a plurality of sides as shown. The top of thebase 42 includes an opening 78 to receive a portion of the swing armassembly 44. The front side of the base 42 has a relatively sphericalsurface 52 to engage the anterior surface 54 of the bore 32 in the malecasting 10, which has a complimentary shape. The complimentary shapesallow the proper vertical relationship of the gauge to the male castingto ensure accurate measurement of the worn portion. The rear side 56 ofthe base preferably includes an opening 58 to receive a screw jackassembly 60. The screw jack assembly 60 includes a threaded rod 62having a brace end 64 and a nut 66, forming an expanding clamp brace.The brace end 64 is configured to brace or secure the base 42 againstthe interior of the male bore 32. Preferably, the brace end 64 has threelegs 68 contacting the posterior surface 70 of the male bore 32. The nut66, when turned, extends or retracts the brace end 64 from the base 42.As a result, the turning of the nut 66 can extend the brace until it isflush with the posterior surface 70 of the male bore 32 securing thebase 42 of the pivot gauge in the male bore 32. The anterior surface 54and posterior surface 70 are typically unworn or minimally worn portionsof the bore 32 that are sufficient for reference measurement forrefinishing.

The swing arm assembly 44 comprises a swing arm 44 a, a cylindricalholder 44 b, and a plate 44 c. The swing arm 44 a is generally L-shaped,and includes an extension arm portion 74 and a measurement arm portion76. The length of the extension arm 74 is determined by the dimensionsof the male casting generally, including the contact surface 30 and themale bore 32.

The swing arm assembly 44 is pivotally connected to the base. Plate 44 cis secured to the base 42 by a countersink bolt 48 located on the plate44 c. The countersink bolt 48 is received in opening 78 in the base 42.The cylindrical holder 44 b, which preferably has a top portion 43 and abottom portion 45, is then pivotally attached to the plate 44 c. Thebottom portion 45 of the cylindrical holder 41 is preferably insertedinto a hole (not shown) in plate 44 c and is secured to the plate,preferably with a c-shaped clip (not shown) inserted into and around asmaller diameter of a groove in the bottom portion 43 of the cylindricalholder 41.

The top portion 43 of the cylindrical holder 41 includes a notch 47 toreceive the extension arm 74 of the swing arm 44 a. Additionally, aninline hole 49 extends horizontally through the cylindrical holder 41which aligns with a similar hole (not shown) in the extension arm. A pincan then be inserted through the hole 49 and the hole in the extensionarm 74, securing the extension arm 74 to the cylindrical holder 41.

The swing arm assembly results in the plate 44 c being secured to thebase 42 via countersink bolt 48, the cylindrical holder 44 b beingremovably and pivotally secured to the plate 44 c, and the swing arm 44a being removably and pivotally secured to the cylindrical holder 44 b.The swing arm 44 a is thus capable of pivoting generally vertically upfrom the base around the inline hole 49 and pin. This allows the swingarm 44 a to be pivoted up and away from the male casting 10, whendesired. The cylindrical holder 44 b and hence the swing arm 44 a areadditionally able to pivot horizontally around the axis of thecylindrical holder 44 b, allowing the swing arm 44 a and its contouredge 84 to sweep along a desired range of the male casting contactsurface 30.

The swing arm 44 a additionally includes a flat portion 46, which ispart of the extension arm 74 that contacts the plate 44 c and ensuresthe proper relationship between the contour edge 84 and the sphericalsurface 52 of the base 42. The measurement arm 76 then extendsdownwardly from the extension arm 74. The measurement arm 76 includes afront edge 82 and a contoured edge 84. The curve of the contour edge 84is designed to conform in shape with the contact surface 30 of the malecasting 10 of the connector. The contoured edge 84 can swing the entirerange of the contact surface 30 of the male casting 10. The length ofthe extension arm 74 is such that the contour edge 84 of the swing arm44 a is less than approximately ⅛″ from the contact surface 30 of a malecasting 10 having no wear.

The preferred gauge 2401 of the present invention also includes arotating component 2400 attached to a mounting piece 2402 that includesa bolt 2404, a bushing 2403 and a spacer 2405. The gauge 2401 is shownin position in FIG. 24 c. Once the gauge 2401 is locked in place asdescribed above, the rotating component 2400 is rotated around tomeasure the amount of weld that needs to be built up, or, if therotating component is removed and flipped over, is used to measurewhether the surface 33 needs further grinding to get back to the properdimension.

Once it is determined that the male casting 10 of the connector requiresreconditioning (i.e., FIG. 3, 302, 304), the bottom bearing surface 33is divided into octants (step 305) and marked using a soap stone asshown in FIG. 25. Next, the bottom bearing surface 33 and thesurrounding areas are preheated 307 to between 300-500° F. andmaintained at this temperature range during the welding process, forexample by use of a torch with a heating tip. It is preferable to use anon-contact thermometer to identify that the preheat temperature iswithin the desired range. Alternatively, the male casting 10 may beheated using an induction heating cable to automatically preheat thecasting and maintain the casting at the desired temperature duringwelding. Induction heating may also be used to control slow coolingduring the process. Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, an exemplaryembodiment of an induction heating cable 2600 and its application to amale casting 10 is shown. The induction heating cable 2600 is typicallycontrolled by a commercially available induction heating system, such asa Miller Proheat™ 35 Induction Heating System, although other inductionheating systems may be used. In operation, the induction heating cable2600 is wound into circular, oval shapes 2602 having a minimum of twofull windings as shown in FIG. 26. The cable 2600 windings may consistof a single layer or multiple layers, as required to produce therequired casting temperature during the reconditioning process.

In the male casting 10 reconditioning process, there are preferably atleast two of these oval shaped cable windings 2602, which aresymmetrically spaced from the approximate midpoint of the inductionheating cable. These oval shaped windings 2602 are applied symmetricallyto each side of the male casting 10 as shown in FIG. 27. The windings2602 are shown in insulating saddle bags 2604 in the illustrations, butany insulating material may be used between the cable windings 2602 andthe male casting 10 surface to separate the windings 2602 from directcontact with the male casting 10 in order to prevent heat damage to theinduction heating cable 2600.

The affected area is then built up with weld 306 one octant at a time,preferably using a specially modified Stoody hard facing welding wire(0.045″ diameter for example, although other diameters may be used) toallow overhead welding and use of CO₂ gas. An equivalent wire havingsimilar chemistry and welding characteristics may also be used. Thechart below provides exemplary wire compositions and machine settings,but other compositions will be evident to those skilled in the art:

Welding Feed Rate Wire Required Gas Position Volts Amps (ipm) Stoody(0.045″ dia.) CO₂ or 75% Ar/25% CO₂ Horizontal 27 210 330-370 Stoody(0.045″ dia.) CO₂ or 75% Ar/25% CO₂ Flat (Downhand) 28 220 385-425Stoody (0.045″ dia.) CO₂ or 75% Ar/25% CO₂ Overhead 27 160 245-285

As shown in FIG. 25, a weld bead 2500 is preferably applied along eachsoap stone marking making up the octants from the center hole 32 to theoutside edge 2502 of the casting. Then, beginning at the outside edge2502, weld 2500 is applied radially moving inward until the entireoctant 2504 is welded. The weld may also begin on the inside edge of thecasting and be applied moving radially outward until the entire octant2504 is welded. Weld is applied to the octants 2504 in the order shownby numbers 1-6 in FIG. 25, leaving two diagonally opposite octants 2505,2506 unwelded. After the first six octants 2504 are welded the rotatingcomponent 2400 is removed and the remaining two may be welded.

Optionally, and as a precaution, the surfaces of the gauge 2401 shown inFIGS. 24 a, 24 b and 24 c subject to weld spatter should be lightlycoated with a spatter resistant product prior to welding. Preferably,the application of weld to the worn surfaces should be performed in arelatively still air environment to prevent loss of shielding gas andfast cooling. The surface temperature of the casting should not beallowed to drop below 300° F. at any time during the build-up process.It may therefore, be necessary for the casting to be reheated during theprocess. If the welding process is interrupted for any significantlength of time, the welded area must be thoroughly covered with aninsulating blanket to prevent fast cooling and potential cracking of theweld.

Welding practices known in the art regarding the removal of all slag,oxide scale and spatter between passes should be followed. Weld shouldbe finished so as to not produce a notch effect at the junction of theweld with the parent metal and every precaution should be taken to avoidabrupt changes in section thickness at the line of fusion. Following thewelding process, the casting is slow cooled to ambient temperature usinginsulating blankets or an equivalent means such as an insulating box asshown in FIG. 20. Cracks, incomplete fusion, overlaps, undercut,unfilled craters, voids, and other defects can be highly problematic andshould be avoided. The preheating and slow cooling steps during theprocess help reduce the potential for cracking. For porosity, no roundedindications greater than 3/16 inches long, and no 6 inch square regionscontaining ten or more rounded indications are preferred.

Following the slow cool, the insulating blankets are removed. Therotating component 2400 is then reapplied in an inverted position. Therestored bottom bearing surface 33 then is manually ground 308 to withina desired tolerance of the rotating component 2400 blade surface. Thedesired standards will depend on machining and/or industry requirements,but in one preferred embodiment it is within 1/16 inch of nominal newdimension. Grinding generally involves the removal of excess weld,metal, or other material. The weld additionally is blended into existingadjacent surfaces.

Once welding 306 and grinding 308 are accomplished, the bottom bearingsurface 33 is measured, such as by passing a gauge over the surface 33,to re-qualify the part 310 and ensure proper repair has occurred suchthat no wear or over buildup remains and that the dimensions arecorrect. If desired tolerances are not met, the bottom bearing surfaceshould again be reconditioned as described above. Whether welding 306and grinding 308 are both required will depend on the quality andremaining thickness of the weld. After cooling, the restored area istested, such as through the use of dye penetrant or magnetic particleinspection, to determine that the quality of the restored surface isfree of defects.

Advantageously, the above reconditioning method overcomes problems inthe prior art. Notably, when male castings wear, they usually areremoved and replaced. This is expensive and wastes materials. The abovemethod avoids this drawback. Furthermore, the octant method as describedreduces surface cracks such as radial cracks in the weld material.

With respect to the application of this process to a female bottomsurface 3000, the general principle of building the surface up with aweld material and then grinding (or machining the surface in asemi-automatic process as described below) also applies.

Semi-Automatic Process for Reconditioning Connectors

A semi-automatic technique will now be described as implemented for thereconditioning of an ASF male articulated connector casting. It iscontemplated that the presently preferred technique is applicable toother connector castings, such as male National Castings articulatedconnector castings, and the female casting counterparts thereof.

As described above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the present disclosure,the ASF male casting 10 includes a forward end 28 having a bottombearing surface 33. The bottom bearing surface of the male casting issubject to wear caused by contact with the spherical ring surface 25within the female casting 12 during use.

As noted in the description of the above method, reconditioning of thebottom bearing surface 33 on the male casting may be accomplishedthrough the manual application of a grinding process once the surfacehas been rebuilt through welding. The grinding procedure, while moredesirable over the known method of removing and replacing the entirecasting, may take many hours to complete by hand due to the superiorstrength of the materials used in the casting and the weld. Moreover,given the length of the task, it is often advantageous to flip or invertthe cars with the male casting, so that the bottom bearing surface isnot being reconditioned upwardly. This may present challenges due to thelarge size and weight of the car and casting. Moreover, the manualreconditioning process usually requires the rail cars to be brought to arepair shop facility. It therefore may be desirable to automate thewelding and metal removal process.

In accordance with the present invention, a welding fixture 800 isprovided to assist in semi-automatic reconditioning of an ASF malecasting. Turning to FIGS. 13A-13B, the welding fixture includes asupport plate 802 and a base plate 804 extending substantiallyperpendicular from the support plate 802. The base plate 804 includes acutout 816 that, as explained below, allows a welding device to beconnected with the welding fixture 800. It also includes a catch plate806 that extends downwardly at an angle relative to the base plate. Thecatch plate 806 engages to an inner surface of the anterior surface 54of the opening of the male casting 10 to secure the welding fixture 800to the male casting. While the catch plate 806 can be angled as desiredin order to secure the welding fixture to the male casting, in apreferred embodiment the catch is angled downwardly at approximately 54degrees to the base plate.

A pair of side arms 808 extend downwardly from the base plate 804, suchthat a side arm 808 is on either side of the male casting 10 when thewelding fixture 800 is attached to the casting. As explained furtherbelow, each of the support plate 802 and side arms 808 includes a knob810 that, when tightened, allows a screw 812 associated with the knob toengage the male casting and secure the welding fixture 800 to the malecasting 10. A fixture shaft 814 extends upwardly from the top plate. Thefixture shaft provides for the attachment of a welding assembly tosemi-automatically build up the weld on the bottom bearing surface ofthe male casting.

A machining fixture assembly 200 is also provided to assist in thesemi-automatic reconditioning of an ASF male casting. After the weldingstep as described above, the male casting 10 is removed from the weldingfixture 800 and placed and aligned in the machining fixture 200.Preferably, the fixture includes an adjustable, rigid frame apparatus asshown in FIGS. 4A-4H. Turning first to FIGS. 4A-4B, the fixture 200includes a horizontally positioned top plate 202 and a correspondinghorizontal bottom plate 204. The top plate 202 includes a first opening206 and a pair of handles 208. The bottom plate 204 includes a secondopening 210, which is substantially aligned with the first opening inthe top plate 202. Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 4I, the first andsecond openings 206, 210 are aligned such that the measurements L1 andL2 are within approximately 1/32 inches of each other and where themeasurements D1 and D2 are within approximately 1/16 inches of eachother. However, in other embodiments other tolerances may be used.

The top and bottom plates 202, 204 are connected via a pair of spaced,vertical sideplates 212 rigidly attached to and extending between thetop plate 202 and the bottom plate 204. Gussets 214 are mounted invarious corners of the frame of the fixture 200 to reinforce therigidity of the structure. In the rigid frame of the fixture 200, thehorizontal plate 202 and 204 and the vertical sideplates 212 define aninterior space 216. The fixture 200 also includes a centering portion2000 with a tongue 4000 which acts as a guide to help center the fixture200 laterally on the connector 10.

The fixture 200 incorporates a clamp assembly 218 to allow attachment ofthe fixture 200 to a male ASF casting. Preferably, the clamp assembly218 includes a hook 220 and a threaded rod 219 that, as explainedfurther below, allows the hook 220 to be moved in the direction of thearrows 222 in FIG. 4D. The clamp assembly 218 further includes analignment plate 224 and at least one spacer 226 attached to thealignment plate 224, such that they are “stacked” in a horizontaldirection (i.e., arrows 222). A pair of gauge support bars 228 areattached to the inner surfaces of the sideplates 212 and, as shown inFIG. 4B, they extend outwardly from the sideplates 212. As shown in FIG.4J, the fixture 200 also includes a pair of holders 230 on one of thesideplates 212 to hold a gauge 232. As explained below, the gauge 232 isused in conjunction with the support bars 228 to check the bottombearing surface 33 of the male casting. Referring to FIG. 4H, in apreferred embodiment it is desirable to have an upper surface 234 of thesupport bars 228 be approximately perpendicular to a surface 236 of theoutermost spacer 226 to within 0.1 degrees, and to have the uppersurfaces 234 of the support bars 228 be approximately parallel to eachother to within 0.1 degrees.

First and second bearings 238, 240 are included and are centered withinthe first and second openings 206, 210. The first bearing 238 isdisposed on a top side 242 of the top plate 202 and the second bearing240 is disposed on a top side 244 of the bottom plate 204. The first andsecond bearings 238, 240 should be substantially aligned. One way ofaligning the bearings is through the use of an alignment tube 246 (FIGS.4F-4G). In one desired embodiment, the bearings may be aligned such thatthe vertical axis defined by Y_(j) is parallel to axis defined by Y₂ towithin 0.1 degrees and the vertical axis defined by Y₃ is perpendicularto horizontal axis defined by X₁ within 0.1 degrees.

FIGS. 4A-4E show an ASF male casting 10 attached to the fixture. Inparticular, FIG. 4C shows that the threaded rod 219 is loosened so thatthe hook 220 draws nearer to the alignment plate 224. This allows theclamp assembly 218 to be lowered into the opening 32 of the male casting10. The threaded rod 219 is then tightened. Specifically, and as shownin FIGS. 4D-4E, the threaded rod 219 should be tightened so that thehook 220 and anterior opening surface 54 are in contact with each otherand so that the outermost spacer 226 and posterior bore surface 70 arein contact with each other.

An exemplary embodiment of the semi-automatic reconditioning techniquefor the ASF male articulated connector casting will now be described.FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of the preferredmethod. As shown at 552, the male casting of the ASF articulatedconnector 10 is prepared for reconditioning. This preparation is similarto that of the previously described embodiments above. In general,however, dirt, grease, lubrication residue, and other contamination mustbe removed from the bottom of the male bearing surface of the castingprior to the restoration procedure. Preferably, this is performedthrough burn off and/or machining (i.e. grinding). Burrs are thenremoved from the inner and outer diameters of the bottom bearingsurface. The fixture 800 is mounted 553 to the casting 10 and thecasting 10 is preheated 555 to between 300°-500° F.

The welding operation may then proceed as at 554 in order to add weldmetal to portions of the bottom bearing surface 33 of the male casting.Referring to FIGS. 14-16, in a preferred embodiment, an automaticwelding device 818 is applied to the fixture shaft 814 of the fixture800 to rebuild the bottom bearing surface with weld. An exemplarywelding device includes the AutoBoreWelder supplied by Climax PortableMachining & Welding Systems, Inc. of Newberg, Oreg. Of course, a numberof other welding devices may be utilized without departing from thescope of the present invention.

The welding device 818 includes a torch assembly 820 and a bore weldingassembly 822. The torch assembly 820 includes a torch nozzle 824 and aspindle 826 for attachment to the bore welding assembly 822. The spindle826 is a component of a radial face torch. While any suitable radialface torch may be used, in a preferred embodiment the radial face torchis a Bortech model A1035 Radial Face Torch Assembly provided by BoretechCorporation of Keene, N.H.

The bore welding 822 assembly includes a control unit 828 and a weldingfacing head 830. The control unit 828 starts and stops the weld process.It includes a control unit shaft 832 that extends upwardly from thecontrol unit, a welding cam 834 located on the control unit shaft, and aroller switch 836 that, as explained further below, is engaged by thewelding cam 834 as it rotates on the control unit shaft 832 when thewelding device 818 is in operation. Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, thewelding cam 834 includes a series of small detents 838 so that when adetent 838 passes by the roller switch 836, the roller switch 836 willno longer be engaged such that the torch nozzle 824 will cease itswelding operation. However, the welding device 818 will continuerotating due to the continued operation of the welding facing head 830.When a portion of the welding cam 834 not having a detent 838 engagesthe rolling switch 836, the welding will restart. This allows for theintermittent, automatic welding of the bottom bearing surface of themale casting. While in a preferred embodiment there are 6 detentsequally spaced apart along the circumference of the welding cam whichallows for 15 degrees each of welding interruption, in other embodimentsa different amount of detents may be used, or none at all

The welding facing head 830 controls the rotation and movement of thewelding device 818. It engages with the control unit shaft 832 and, whenthe welding device is ready for use, the welding facing head is able torotate 360 degrees during the welding operation.

The bore welding assembly 822 also includes a connecting beam assembly840 that at one end 822 attaches to the facing head and at the other end844 is connected to the control unit 828, which forms a connectionbetween the fixture shaft 814 of the welding fixture and the connectingbeam assembly 840.

To perform the welding operation 554, the welding fixture 800 isattached to the male casting 10 so that the forward end 28 of the malecasting 10 faces the support plate 802. The knobs 810 located on theside arms 808 and support plate 802 may then be rotated so that theirrespective screws 812 engage with the male casting to secure the weldingfixture 800 to the casting 10. Notably, as the screws 812 are tightened,the catch plate 806 will further engage with the inner surface of theanterior surface 54 of the male casting opening.

The control unit 828 is attached to the fixture shaft 814 of the weldingfixture and the torch assembly 820 is passed through the cutout 816 inthe base plate 804 from the underside of the casting 10. The spindle 826of the torch assembly 820 is then connected to the bore welding assembly822. Referring to FIG. 18, the torch assembly 820 is adjusted so thatthe torch nozzle 824 is positioned along an outer portion 824 of thebottom bearing surface 33 of the male casting 10. Alternatively, thetorch nozzle 824 may be positioned at an inside portion of the bottombearing surface 33 of the male casting 10.

The welding cam 834 should be rotated so that one of the detents 838 ispositioned towards the posterior surface 70 of the opening. The malecasting should be preheated as described above and maintained at300°-500° F. throughout the welding process. This is accomplishedthrough the use of an insulating blanket or an equivalent means. Themale casting 10 is reheated as required in order to maintain the propertemperature. By actuating the control unit 828, e.g., with a pushbutton,the welding process may then begin. The welding device will begin toapply the weld at an outer portion of the bottom bearing surface and, asrotation continues, the torch nozzle will rotate inwardly along thebottom bearing surface in a counter-clockwise direction as observed fromthe top of the casting. Typically, the torch nozzle will make between 10to 12 passes or revolutions around the bottom bearing surface to applyone layer of weld. Typically, 4-8 layers of weld can be expected to“rebuild” the bottom bearing surface, although the actual number mayvary depending on the amount of wear and the desired thickness of theweld. Moreover, preferably the gas used with the welding device will beeither 100 percent CO₂ or a composition of 75% AR 25% CO₂, althoughother compositions known to those in the art may be used.

As noted above, the presence of the weld cam 834 will cause aninterrupted weld pattern to form on the bottom bearing surface. Theroller switch 836 of the control unit will disengage when a detent 838on the weld cam passes over it. This will cause the torch nozzle 824 tostop “welding” until the weld cam again actuates the roller switch. In apreferred embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 19, the weld pattern will beapproximately 45 degrees of weld material 848 followed by approximately15 degrees of no weld 850. When the automatic welding operation isfinished, the amount of weld may be measured with a gage to determine ifthe weld build-up is satisfactory. If the amount is deemed insufficient,the above process may be repeated, with the number of layers appliedadjusted accordingly.

The welding device may then be removed from the welding fixture. Theareas on the bottom bearing surface having no weld may then be manually“filled in” with weld. Using the same type of gas, the manually-appliedweld may be added in the areas 850 that remain free of weld after theautomatic welding process. These areas are blended with theautomatically applied weld so that the entire bottom bearing surface hasbeen built-up for the machining operation as described below. Notably,the automatic application of the weld material reduces the time anoperator is required to weld the bottom bearing surface. Moreover,because this operation allows the weld to be applied from beneath thecasting, it also limits any lengthy, awkward manipulation required bythe operator, and does not necessitate inversion of the car or castingto perform the welding operation.

After the bottom bearing surface has had the weld applied, it should beallowed to slow cool 557 before proceeding to the machining operation.Desirably, while the welding fixture is still mounted to the casting,the casting will have an insulating box 852, insulating blankets, and/orequivalent means applied to it (FIG. 20) to control the cooling rate ofthe casting. The insulating box is a two-piece box whose exterior ismade out of sheet metal. The insulating box facilitates the cooling ofthe casting in a measured manner. Otherwise, if the casting cools tooquickly, weld material may form cracks or develop other surfacefailures. The insulating box includes a pair of oppositely situateddoors 854. The doors 854 may be either fully opened or fully closed tocontrol the exposure of the casting to ambient air during cooling.Moreover, any portions of the casting that remain exposed, such as dueto the presence of any cutouts in the insulating box 852, may be wrappedin an insulating blanket 858.

Once the casting has cooled and the insulating box, blankets and fixturehave been removed, the casting is mounted 556 and aligned 558 in themachining fixture 200 so that the machining operation 560 may beperformed. As described above, this may include facing, grinding ormilling, amongst other suitable operations, in order to remove excessweld to a specified dimension. Referring to FIGS. 6-11, in thissemi-automatic method of the present invention, a boring bar assembly400, facing head assembly 500, and facing head feed control 600 areused. The boring bar assembly 400 drives the facing head assembly 500,which includes a machining tool 502 (FIG. 11), while the feed control600 provides for the axial feed of the machining tool as weldingmaterial is being removed from the bottom bearing surface 33 of the maleportion 10 of the casting, and provides for the adjustment of the feedrate of the machining tool 502 during the machining process. In apreferred embodiment, the facing head assembly 500, boring bar assembly400 and facing head feed control 600 are manufactured by Climax PortableMachining & Welding Systems, Inc. of Newberg, Oreg. Of course, otherboring bar and facing head assemblies and/or facing head feed controlsmay be utilized without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the boring bar assembly 400 includes an axial feedassembly 402, a rotational drive assembly 404, lead screw 406, boringbar 408, a plurality of clamp collars 410 a-c and a clamp ring 412. Asexplained further below, the boring bar assembly 400 is affixed to thefixture by the insertion of the boring bar 408 into the bearing in thefirst opening 206 of the top plate 202. Notably, the axial feed assembly402 provides for the adjustment and movement of the boring bar 408 in avertical direction through its engagement with the lead screw 406. Therotational drive assembly 404 includes a motor 405 and rotational driveunit 407 that together drive and provide for the rotation of the boringbar 408. In addition to the machining tool 502, the facing head assembly500 includes a facing head 504, and a facing head carriage 506. Asdescribed below, the facing head assembly 500 is connected to the boringbar 408 and thus rotates when the boring bar 408 is being driven by therotational drive assembly 404. The facing head assembly 500 retains themachining tool 502 that machines the bottom bearing surface 33 of thecasting 10. The facing head feed control 600 is in mechanical contactwith the facing head assembly 500 and controls the feed rate, i.e., therate the cutting tool moves or is “fed” in an inward direction along thebottom bearing surface as weld material is removed. It includes a feedadjustment 602 and jam wheel 604. The jam wheel 604 locks the feedadjustment 602 into place. When the jam wheel 604 is loosened, the feedadjustment 602 may be adjusted to change the feed rate of the machiningtool 502.

To perform the machining operation, the boring bar assembly 400 ispositioned above the fixture 200 applied to the casting 10. As part ofthe boring bar assembly 400, clamps 410 a and 410 b are secured to theboring bar 408 to prevent the boring bar 408 from falling out of theaxial feed assembly 402 and rotational drive unit 407 when positioningthe boring bar assembly 400. The boring bar 408 is inserted into thefirst bearing 238 in the top plate 202, completely through the firstopening 206 and completely through the male casting opening 32. However,clearance should be left above the second bearing 240 in the bottomplate 204 sufficient to position the facing head assembly 500 upwardlyonto the boring bar 408. Following the facing head assembly is a clampcollar 508 a, the facing head feed control 600, and another clamp collar508 b. Thereafter, the end 414 of the boring bar 408 is positionedthrough the second bearing 240 until the boring bar assembly clamp ring412 covers the first bearing 238. The clamp ring 412 is then securedover the first bearing 238, such as through the use of a push-button,spring-loaded lock.

The machining tool 502 is also positioned by first determining thelowermost point of the material on the bottom bearing surface 33 to bemachined. As shown in FIG. 9, the gauge bar 232 is positioned so that aprimary flat side 232 a (FIG. 10) is horizontal across the support bars228. Then, such as through the use of a scale or tape measure, thelocation of the lowermost point from the flat side 232 of the gauge barto the material requiring machining on the bottom bearing surface 33 isassessed and marked. Other methods may also apply.

The machining tool 502 is positioned in the tool holder carriage 506 andsecured. As noted above, the tool may be a facing or similar cuttingtool to facilitate the removal of weld material. The facing headassembly 500 is slid upwards on the boring bar 408 until the tip 502 aof the cutting tool 502 is positioned close to the lowermost location ofweld material on the bottom bearing surface 33, preferably within ¼inch. The facing head assembly 500 is securely fastened to the boringbar 408. The clamping collar 508 a is slid into direct contact with theunderside 501 of the facing head assembly 500 and fastened to the boringbar 408. The facing head feed control 600 is positioned loosely againstthe clamping collar 508. Another clamping collar 508 b is slid upwardsinto direct contact with the underside 606 of the facing head feedcontrol 600 and securely fastened to the boring bar 408.

The remainder of the set up provides for “fine tuning.” The tolerancesprovided below are exemplary, and other tolerances may be used dependingon machining requirements. The axial feed 402 includes a crank 416 thatcan be manually engaged to move the boring bar 408 upwardly so that thetip 502 a of the tool 502 comes within about 0.030 inches of a materiallow point of the area to be machined. The crank 416 thereafter isengaged downward for about one-half turn or 0.050 inches. The facinghead also includes a pair of carriage control knobs 508, one of whichcan be engaged to position the outboard end 506 a of the tool holdercarriage 506 at a desired distance from the end 503 of the facing head.The tool holder carriage 506 are secured into place so it does not move.In one preferred embodiment, a pin and detent configuration may be usedso that the carriage control knob “locks” the tool holder carriage 506into place.

The facing head assembly 500 and machining tool 502 are rotated to therear of the casting by engaging the rotational drive system 404, such asthrough a pushbutton (not shown). Once the facing head assembly 500 isin position, the rotational drive system 404 is disengaged. The crank416 of the axial feed 402 is then engaged for about one full turn sothat the boring bar 408 moves upwardly about 0.100 inches towards thearea to be machined. Clamp 410 c is then secured and the crank 416 ofthe axial feed 402 is disengaged. In one preferred embodiment, the crankhas pins that engage with detents associated with the axial feed, sothat when the pins are disengaged the axial feed is locked into place.Once ready to begin the actual machining, the boring bar 408 is engagedby depressing the push button, which results in the rotational movementof the facing head assembly 500. If the above settings are incorporated,approximately 0.020 inches of material will be removed from the bottombearing surface. However, as noted above, this embodiment is exemplary,and other settings may be used so that a greater or lesser amount ofmaterial is removed.

Advantageously, an operator may monitor the machining process withouthaving to perform it, which as described above may require operator toeither grind the bottom bearing surface from underneath the casting, orelse require that the casting (and potentially the railcar) be inverted.Each of these techniques requires large amounts of time and areundesirable because the former requires a lengthy, awkward manipulationby the operator while the latter requires the manipulation of largeequipment (casting and/or railcar). Moreover, articulated connectors arenot suited for such removal from the railcar since they are integral tothe car and such repair would be inefficient, time consuming, andexpensive.

In a preferred embodiment, during machining it is desirable to feed thetool holder and carriage 506 inwardly along the bottom bearing surfaceapproximately 0.010 inches per revolution of the machining tool 502.Feed adjustment may be made by loosening the jam wheel 604 and turningthe feed adjustment 602 in the appropriate direction. In thisembodiment, counter-clockwise rotation of the feed adjustment 602decreases feed, while clockwise rotation of the feed adjustmentincreases feed. If the feed is unknown, an initial slower setting may beused until the desired feed is achieved, at which time the jam wheel 604may be resecured.

Moreover, metal chips 700 (FIG. 9) created by the machining process mayneed to be removed during the machining process. One way to accomplishchip removal is through the use of a low-pressure hose to blow chipsaway.

Once machining is complete, the equipment may be disengaged to determinewhether the desired casting dimension has been achieved, i.e., thecasting undergoes qualification 562. In a preferred embodiment, thiswill occur after one pass along the bottom bearing surface by thecutting tool 502. However, in the majority of cases, more than one passwill be necessary. The uppermost clamp collar 410 c at the top of theboring bar 408 is loosened and the crank 416 moves the boring bar 408downwardly so that the cutting tool is moved in a downward directionaway from the bottom bearing surface. As such, the facing head assembly500 is moved so it is not in the way during qualification. The gauge bar232 is positioned on the support bars 228 so that the primary flat side232 a is vertical. In a preferred embodiment, if the gauge bar 232 canbe slid under the machined casting surface and the clearance between thegauge bar and the machined surface is within 1/16 inches, then thedesired dimension has been achieved. Additionally, it may be desirableto have the cumulative total of the non-machined areas of the bottombearing surface not be greater than approximately one inch in diameter.If these tolerances are not satisfied, the process described above maybe repeated, except that the boring bar crank 416 may be turned furtherto raise the facing head assembly 500 towards the bottom bearing surfaceso that additional material is removed. Upon completion of machining,sharp edges of the bottom bearing surface are ground with a radius ofabout 1/16″-⅛″ and remaining weld buildup is blended to the existingadjacent casting surfaces. The restored surface is then checked fordefects.

Reconditioning Through the Use of Wear Plates

This alternate method does not require the application of a built-upweld followed by grinding, as described above. Referring to FIG. 12, awear plate 900 instead may be welded or mechanically attached to a wearsurface 901 of the male casting that has been machined or ground flatusing processes like those noted above. The wear surface will beprepared as described above (e.g., machined, ground, burrs are removed,etc.) so that it is prepared to have a wear plate welded to it. By wayof example, as to the bottom bearing surface 33, the bottom bearingsurface itself will act as the surface to which the wear plate iswelded.

The wear plate may include a substrate layer 904 and a welded layer 902(shown in exaggerated form in FIGS. 12, 12 a, and 12 b). The substratelayer 904 is typically made of a weldable material and is the layer thatis welded for attachment to the bottom bearing surface 33. One suitablematerial is a weldable steel substrate, while in other embodiments, alow carbon or high-strength low-alloy steel may be used. The weldedlayer 902 acts in place of the built-up weld material describedpreviously. The surface 906 of the welded layer will come in contactwith the spherical ring surface 25 when the male casting 10 is insertedinto the female casting 12. Prior to attachment of a wear plate, thebottom bearing surface may be machined using the techniques describedabove until the desired casting dimension is achieved, which can bedetermined by measuring the casting with a gage. Preferably, the weldlayer 902 of the wear plate 900 is made from chromium carbide, althoughother suitable materials may be used such as hard-facing weld material.Other options for the wear plate include, without limitation, wearplates case or flame hardened or having had other resistant surfacetreatments. Wear plates made completely out of materials like thosenoted for the substrate layer are also an option. The wear plate couldalso be comprised of stainless steel.

Accordingly, the casting may be reconditioned at a faster rate since theweld does not have to be built up. Rather, the wear plate needs only tobe attached to the prepared wear surface. Notably, this procedure alsomay be used to recondition the bottom bearing surface 3000 of the femalecasting. Many alternative embodiments of the wear plate described hereinare envisioned. For example, the opening 950 in the wear plate 900 maybe concentric to the outside edge 952 of the wear plate 900 as shown inFIG. 21. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 22, the opening 950 in the wearplate 900 can have an offset, or non-concentric relationship to theoutside edge 952 of the wear plate 900. In another alternativeembodiment, the outside edge 952 of the wear plate 900 is not circular,rather it has cut-out portions. Other shapes are also envisioned.

Of course, one skilled in the art will realize that the machines,fixtures, tools and gauges used in the above embodiment of thereconditioning method are only exemplary and many alternatives exist.The examples illustrated herein are therefore not meant to berestricting. Moreover, while the ASF male castings are described, asknown to those of ordinary skill in the art, the methods and equipmentdescribed herein may readily be adapted to be applied to other types ofmale castings, such as, for example, from National Castings, as well asto female castings. If the methods herein are applied to female castings12, the bottom bearing (or spherical ring) surface 3000 may bereconditioned in this fashion.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for reconditioning a railcarconnector, comprising: machining a portion of a casting to create a wearplate application surface wherein machining the portion of the castingto create the wear plate application surface comprises machining aportion of a bottom bearing surface of a male portion of an articulatedconnector; positioning a wear plate on the wear plate applicationsurface; and welding the wear plate to the wear plate applicationsurface.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the wear plate to theapplication surface further comprises: determining whether the maleportion has achieved a desired machining dimension for wear plateapplication.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wear plate includes alayer made from chromium carbide.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thewear plate includes a layer made from a weldable steel substrate.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the wear plate includes a layer made fromstainless steel.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wear plate is anon-circular shape.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the machining stepis automatic.
 8. A method for reconditioning a railcar connector,comprising: machining a portion of a casting to create a wear plateapplication surface; positioning a wear plate on the wear plateapplication surface; and welding the wear plate to the wear plateapplication surface, wherein welding the wear plate to the applicationsurface further comprises welding a substrate layer of the wear plate tothe application surface.
 9. A method for reconditioning a railcarconnector, comprising: machining a portion of a casting to create a wearplate application surface; positioning a wear plate on the wear plateapplication surface; and welding the wear plate to the wear plateapplication surface, wherein the wear plate is generally circular andincludes an opening that is generally concentric with an outside edge ofthe wear plate.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wear plateapplication surface is on a female portion of an articulated connector.11. A method for reconditioning a railcar connector, comprising:machining a portion of a casting to create a wear plate applicationsurface; portioning a wear plate on the wear plate application surface;and welding the wear plate to the wear plate application surface,wherein the wear plate is generally circular and includes an openingthat is generally non-concentric with an outside edge of the wear plate.12. A method for reconditioning a railcar connector, comprising:machining a portion of a casting to create a wear plate applicationsurface; position a wear plate on the wear plate application surface;and welding the wear plate to the wear plate application surface,wherein the wear plate is a non-circular shape wherein the wear plateincludes a generally circular opening defined therein.
 13. A method forreconditioning a railcar connector, comprising: machining a portion of acasting to create a wear plate application surface; positioning a wearplate on the wear plate application surface; and welding the wear plateto the wear plate application surface, wherein the wear platesubstantially matches the shape of a bottom bearing surface of a maleportion of an articulated connector.
 14. A wear plate for reconditioninga surface of an articulated connector, the wear plate having at leastone opening defined therein and comprising at least a substrate layerconnected to a welded layer; wherein the wear plate is generallycircular.
 15. The wear plate of claim 14, wherein the opening isgenerally concentric with an outside edge of the wear plate.
 16. Thewear plate of claim 14, wherein the opening is generally non-concentricwith an outside edge of the wear plate.
 17. The wear plate of claim 14,wherein the opening is generally circular.
 18. The wear plate of claim14, wherein the welded layer is comprised of chromium carbide.